Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first pull here is simple: this is a turn-based Dragon Quest Monsters RPG with a greatly expanded pool of creatures to build around. More than 100 new monsters is not a tiny bonus; it changes the long-term draw of putting together a party and gives returning players many more possibilities to chase than the standard release offered.

The new skill sets matter for the same reason. Professional is aimed at the satisfying part of a monster RPG: finding combinations that fit how you want to play, then taking them into battle and seeing whether your choices hold up. If you enjoyed the base game’s loop, the added monsters and skills make this feel like a proper excuse to return rather than a lightly touched-up repeat.

Importing your existing progress is the feature that makes the package especially worthwhile. You can continue from the normal version instead of throwing away the time already invested, which removes the most common frustration attached to an expanded edition. Newcomers can still start here, but veterans are the ones who get the cleanest payoff.

Graphics

On Nintendo DS, the game uses an anime-leaning look and a third-person viewpoint. The focus is on the monsters and their varied designs, and the enlarged roster gives the adventure more creature variety to look at than the original release.

Story

Professional follows the same story as Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2, so the narrative is not the reason to upgrade if you have already finished the original. Its value comes from expanding the journey around that familiar backbone.

For a first-time player, that also means there is no need to treat this as a side entry or incomplete add-on. You are getting the original story along with the extra material, including a new region to explore.

Returning players should go in with the right motivation: you are revisiting a known tale for a broader adventure, not discovering a rewritten one. That is a sensible trade when your attachment is to the monsters, party-building, and continued progression.

Overall Experience

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 Professional is the version to choose if you have access to it. It keeps the complete original adventure, adds a region, significantly enlarges the monster roster, and broadens your options with new skills. That is a meaningful upgrade for a game built around replayable RPG experimentation.

Its main limitation is also its honesty: this is an expansion of Joker 2, not a new story. If the original game left you cold, more monsters and another area may not change your mind. But if you liked it—or stopped after investing serious time—Professional offers the rare expanded edition that respects that investment through progress importing.

For newcomers, start here. For veterans, the import option and expanded collection are persuasive enough to make another trip worthwhile. It is not a reinvention, but it is a generous, practical refinement of a solid monster-focused RPG.

Retro Replay Score

7.8/10